Destination! At Last![Plot]

The journey from Kina had been long and hard on the impoverished monk. Tenju Ichidai had been cast out from the temple where he was raised, exiled by the chief abbot who had been like a father to him. There was no reason for this to weigh as a boulder on Tenju's heart however as he knew full well that it had been done for his own sake. The abbot's own daughter immediately took him in as a student in the arts of magic as she too had been exiled from the temple years prior for similar reasons. After training under his new master for a time, Tenju was given a map and a mission. To travel to the great magician's city known as Magnostadt.

Tenju made the trek alone, first braving the small sea between Kina and the mainland where a country named Kou held power. The country was amidst a civil war when Tenju arrived so rather than enjoying his visit it was a dangerous battle for survival just to move through the large region. With food shortages hitting Kou combined with empty pockets, Tenju wound up fasting for much of his travels. There were some people Tenju met that had fascinated him such as the young woman named Altan who bore from the fanalis clan. However, nothing could stop Tenju from proceeding onward towards the magician's city.

After struggling to make some money Tenju used his limited funds and abilities as a magician to buy safe passage across the vast open plains. Using a trade caravan as transport the monk served as a guard and helper long enough to be dropped off not far from Magnostadt. The caravan departed off towards Balbadd while Tenju looked to the west where a small bump could be seen on the horizon. Though it looked tiny from afar Tenju was still a few days march away. Testament to the size and grandeur of the magnificent structures dedicated to Magnostadt's massive academy. Not one to give up with his goal just in sight Tenju strove onward.

Unfortunately, Tenju seemed to forever be destined to be poor and hungry. The rations he had only lasted him a day. Tenju could only go hungry and thirsty the other two days as he gradually approached Magnostadt. The city was much larger now, nearly in reach. But Tenju was feeling exhaustion hit hard and there seemed to be a small outpost nearby. His journey to Magnostadt had taken almost a year, Tenju decided he could afford to wait a few more hours and chose to stop at the outpost in order to refresh his mind and body before presenting himself to the famous magician's city.

Arriving at the gates, Tenju felt as though all his strength had nearly left him. Knowing that relief was so close at hand made the young man's body limp and weak as if it were already upon him. The staff that manned the gate looked at the weather worn monk with concerned eyes as he leaned heavily on his Khakkhara. "Are you alright?" One of the gate guards asked as he approached Tenju with a bit of suspicion in his heart. The weary Tenju just smiled and shook his head, "I'll be fine, I just need some food and water." The staff member directed Tenju to the outposts tavern where he could find what he was after, but warned that their hospitality didn't come free.

Tenju had figured as much and thanked the young man for his advice before hobbling his way over to the tavern. The wandering monk pushed open the tavern door and stepped inside to find his nose assaulted by an enticing aroma. It was at the same time heavenly and torturous to have his senses teased by the scent of freshly baked goods and fine ales. Tenju mustered up the last of his strength and sat himself at the bar where a beautiful young woman greeted him and recommended the daily special. Eager to simply fill his belly with anything, Tenju ordered the special and some water knowing himself to have poor alcohol tolerance. The wait for his cup of water was short and sweet, his parched tongue singing joyously in relief. The food simply didn't come fast enough however. The monk's belly growled in anticipation until finally a large hearty stew was placed before him.

Giving thanks for the meal was normally a patient and involved process but now it was like a swift formality quickly finished so that the famished monk could dig in.

As the impoverished monk ate his fill, a storm cloud rolled in from the south west. The billowing nimbus was rather high up in the air and it moved with a swiftness that was somewhat unnatural. Inside the storm there was a hollow space which contained two figures hiding from prying eyes. Though one stuck out more than the other with a glowing form made almost exclusively of lava, the other's fox-like features made him seem equally inhuman. Zion Koval held a pipe in one hand which produced the clouds obscuring them and a staff in the other which maintained a spell to carry Zafar Mushtaq through the air.

The pipe had been among the spoils stolen from the black auction in which the two had both experienced transformations using magic that had been taken from dungeons. The blessings of the Djinn Eligos and Gusion had been reduced to objects and then bestowed upon the Lava Beast and Storm Kitsune respectively. The transformations were forced upon them. Literally in Zafar's case, though for Zion it had been the circumstances that drove him to accept the transformation.

Evading the pursuit of the dark auction had been the primary concern for Zion, but after laying low for weeks and avoiding detection or capture it was time to come out of hiding. Even so, it was too conspicuous for a bushy tailed fox-man and a glowing magmic beast to walk around in the open. Under the cover of the storm cloud, the two approached the Koval Estate lab tower and descended onto its rooftop. Once they stepped down onto the stone tower the cloud around them slowly dissipated and by the time it vanished they had disappeared into the tower.

"This way, Zafar. You can stay in here for a while. Better than being underground, isn't it?"

The kitsune doll sounded tired and weary, his magoi drained from the flight over whilst maintaining the magic tool and a spell to carry the lava beast. They had to find a place for him to stop and rest several times before they finally made it to the Koval Estate. Originally Zafar had not planned to follow Zion, but the white haired magician insisted that he could offer the lava beast a better place to live than the burrow Zafar had dug out for them to hide in.

"It doesn't matter much to me, as long as I can get good ores to eat, and a place to burn hotter, little else concerns me."

The earthen voice from Zafar was hard to read for emotion, but Zion got the feeling that despite the lava beast's words it was somewhat depressed that its new body desired only stones and heat. The doll led Zafar down the tower and into a lab of sorts which possessed a forge. There were still ashes and coals in the furnace, though they sat cold and unkindled for almost a year now. "You can treat this forge like your own personal room. After my father passed, it hasn't seen any use." Zion said with a hint of sadness in his eyes. Zafar slowly climbed into the forge and circulated his body to take on a less solid form. The dull orange glow turned brighter into a yellow color as Zafar's viscosity decreased allowing his body to flow over the coals.

There were some crunching noises and then the Lava Beast gave out a dissatisfied growl, "These taste foul and crude..." As the lava consumed the coals and ashes Zion rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment. "Those were the left over dregs after all. Wait here, I'll arrange for some quality metals and ores to be brought in. Can you bare with it for now?" The sincerity in Zion's voice was clear. The former assassin wasn't pleased to show patience, but Zafar made an affirmative grunt and focused on breaking down the fuel he had despite the poor taste.

Settling the assassin turned Lava Beast what a pressing issue so Zion turned to head out in order to find Jericho. But before the doll left the tower he realized that his new appearance posed another problem. Back at the auction Zion coveted the transformation as a way to hide in unnatural origins, or to at least make them seem less unusual at first glance. But now, proving his identity as Zion Koval had become a bit complicated. Thought he had the same clothes and his facial features hadn't changed too drastically, Zion now looked a bit older and sported fox ears along with nine tails. Before Zion could think of a means to explain his situation however, the door to the tower burst open and Jericho the estate steward rushed in.

The cloud that Zion used to hide in was just too obviously man made with how it swiftly descended from the sky and then vanished after swallowing the tower's peak briefly. Jericho had assumed someone was using magic to sneak in and so he rushed inside with his wand drawn and at the ready. Zion was standing there on the stairs halfway down from the lab and to the ground floor study. Jericho aimed the wand at him and began to question Zion only to fumble his words. "Not another step, thi-...ef?" At first Jericho didn't recognize the doll at all, but after a moment he recognized the outfit and the staff held in Zion's hands. The clothes were one thing but the staff was a magical work of art, a one of a kind staff gifted to Zion by a friend of his.

"Z-Zion?

Jericho stood agape in shock looking at an equally surprised Zion. "You recognize me? Good, that makes things easier. Hello, Jericho. I'm back sooner than expected. Hehehe..." After nervously greeting his steward, Zion stepped down the rest of the stairs and moved to take a seat in the study. Still somewhat unconvinced, Jericho slowly took a seat next to him and listened as Zion started to recount the tale. Zion started from how he had been kidnapped shortly after setting out for his journey and hid nothing from the old man. From how Kornel Klien had been identified as Zion's primary foe to the circumstances of the auction and the transformation and subsequent weeks spent in hiding. "I offered Zafar refuge here. But he's a bit grumpy about the arrangements. Can I ask you to handle feeding him the ores he wants?" Zion concluded with guilt in his voice. There was already so much he entrusted to Jericho, and now he was putting more on the man's plate.

"Hm? Oh, yes. Yes, of course. The marketplace should have what your friend needs and providing it shouldn't be too much trouble...but there is something you need to know. Kornel Klien and the other Magnostadt teachers have cracked the method for creating magic tools. It was just a few days after you left. With that, his power and status within the city has grown even more influential."

There was a grim look on Jericho's face as he shared the news. Zion held back the urge to shout out his surprise by squeezing his hands into fists so tight they were shaking. It was surely no coincidence that Klien made a breakthrough in magic tool research just a short while after Mikael's magic tool research had been stolen. "He used my father's work?" There was a bubbling feeling of anger in Zion he'd not felt since Casvallion taught him to control his emotions. Jericho had never seen such a sharp and hateful gaze from Zion before and though he knew it wasn't directed at him, there was still a bit of nervousness on the old man's face as he sheepishly replied, "W-Well, I never saw your father's work, so I couldn't say for sure..." Seeing that Jericho wasn't sure, Zion took in a deep breath and then sighed. The venomous spite drained from Zion along with the breath and he softened his gaze.

"Sorry, you aren't at fault. I will just have to check it out for myself. But first I need to eat and rest. I've used up too much magoi to risk going into the city right now. Please see to it that something is brought to Zafar quickly, I'm going to go have a meal at the tavern."

The foxdoll nearly walked out the door before stopping himself with a realization that he couldn’t simply stroll across the outpost looking the way he did. ”Sight Bend Cloak” Whispering to the rukh, Zion flicked is staff before touching it to his shoulder casually. A shimmering veil of orange rukh washed over the magician before rendering the silver haired magician invisible. It was somewhat a waste of magoi, but Zion didn’t feel like going to find clothes that could hide his tails and ears. It was far more simple to simply go unseen for now and his stomach growls were demanding immediate attention. Hidden from most gazes, Zion emerged from the lab tower followed by Jericho who closed the door behind them before heading off to the marketplace. Zion’s steps led him to the nearby inn which was generating the aroma of the daily special.

The door opening and closing without anyone visibly walking in didn’t go unnoticed. As Zion walked inside the woman that had just served Tenju looked up to greet a new customer. ”Welcome to-...” Confusion knit her brows slightly but understanding replaced it as a familiar voice called out to her. ”It’s me, I had to come back under complicated circumstance...Could you serve me a bowl of the special?” It was embarrassing to speak like this and Zion spoke with an apologetic tone as he moved to sit down at the counter next to the monk who had already begun digging in to his meal without a care for what was happening. There was nobody else in the dining area but them so Zion was able to calmly take his seat without much worry over making a scene.

”I don’t know, you aren’t some crook impersonating the owner so you could get a cheap meal, are you?”

Teasing Zion, the staff member turned around and quickly produced a fresh bowl of the piping hot stew. Having just made a batch there was still plenty left over. ”Don’t say things like that, you’ll scare the customer.” The young doll was too exhausted to play along and replied in a defeated tone as he knew the woman’s words weren’t totally unjustified even though her kind actions showed that she wasn’t truly suspecting him. Thankfully, the day’s special had been placed before Zion, it’s delectable scent assaulted him with even stronger cravings. Zion began to quickly set to task shoveling hearty spoonfuls of stew into his mouth.

Magoi: 270/340[Deducted magic tool and flight spell usage from previous post.]

Abilities:

Taking in the revitalizing stew was all Tenju could focus on as each bite led to a burst of flavorful paradise as a rich fragrance filled his nose as its warmth steamed across his face. The outside world vanished from the monk's mind until there was only Tenju and the bowl of stew. The meal lasted seconds, but to Tenju it felt like much longer had passed. "Aaaaah...." Letting out a large sigh as he finished the last bite and then took a deep breath to relax and let the food settle. Rubbing his stomach, Tenju found that hunger still plagued him and the smell was still enticing his senses.

"Miss, could I have another bowl?"

When the monk made his request the woman turned around and eyed him carefully. "Sure, if you can show me that you can pay for that first bowl." She could hardly be blamed for having doubts, after all in his current state Tenju looked more a beggar than a monk. Were it not for the staff he carried she wouldn't have taken him for a magician. Tenju could only give an embarrassed chuckle before reaching into his sleeve and retrieving a few spare bits of change he'd earned in kou. The woman behind the counter frowned and pursed her lips sternly before looking to the invisible Zion.

"It's fine. Serve him."

It was then that Tenju became aware of the blow placed before an empty seat close to his own. "E-Eh?" Tenju let out a bewildered sound as he watched a spoon used to bring the stew to an invisible patron before literally disappearing into their mouth. "...is someone sitting there?" Tenju asked with surprise. The woman behind the counter laughed as he took away Tenju's empty bowl and replaced it with a full one. "That's the owner, he's having a rough day it's your luck that he's being nice to you." She then winked in a playful tone leaving Tenju unsure if she was serious or joking.

"Don't make it sound like I'm usually not nice to customers...Whoa! You must really like the daily special, huh?"

The appearance of someone that didn't appear to the naked eyes, Tenju's interest had been piqued, but once the bowl of stew was present before him, Tenju fell upon the food with almost as much feral vigor as before. This time, however, he payed attention to Zion's voice and stopped his feast to swallow a big mouthful before replying. "Yes, it's delightful! That reminds me, what's this dish called?" Tenju only stopped eating long enough to say those few words, clearly entranced by the meal.

"It's called Iron Heart Stew, it's a recipe from my tribe..."

There was a bit of tension in her voice as she said so but it went over Tenju's head. He finished his second serving promptly enjoying the satisfaction of having ate his full. But once the euphoria wore off, Tenju made a knowing smile and spoke, "I appreciate the kindness you've shown me...That wasn't enough money to quite cover the meal, was it? I would like to pay you back in some way. Perhaps this could be of value?" The monk reached into his robes and revealed a small pipe with a magic circle engraved onto it.

"This is one of the magic tools my teacher gave me to help keep me safe on my way to Magnostadt. Now that I've arrived safely, I don't need them anymore. Would you be willing to accept this one, as payment?"

This had been the trump card Tenju was relying on to pay for his meal in the first place! The thought of pawning off his precious items had crossed Tenju's mind back in Kou but his journey was still so uncertain, he couldn't bare to part with them. But along the way they had honestly seen little use. Precisely because he felt gratitude to how well this establishment had treated him, it would leave a bad taste in the monk's mouth were he to spoil the good meal with bad will to scam them.

Zion was not as famished or starved as Tenju so he had his meal more slowly and savored each bite, quick only in acting to bring another spoonful to his lips between chewing sessions. When the monk placed his payment on the counter, Zion noticed that it was barely enough to pay for the first bowl if the inn were selling the stew to break even. Such a discounted rate wouldn't even allow Tenju to buy half an extra serving let alone a whole bowl. When the server looked towards Zion he realized she wanted him to make a decision so he calmly gave her the go ahead to serve Tenju. His goal in building the outpost was never to make a huge profit.

The foxdoll was glad that at the moment invisibility cloaked him as he could feel his cheeks burning in embarrassment at the woman's words. He started to chastise her when Tenju's fierce eating startled him. Zion was also a fan of the Iron Heart stew and had invited the woman to join the outpost based on how great her cooking had been when Zion visited the nomadic plains tribes looking for volunteers. But his love for the stew had never summoned up such beastly hunger from him. Zion envied Tenju somewhat but then banished the thought when he took note of how tattered and weather worn the man was. Zion would have laughed at someone had the told him there was another person who had just experienced days more hellish and trying than he had. But after looking at Tenju, Zion began to realize the hubris of his mentality.

Zion fell into thought further and began to wrestle with the news that Kornel Klien had managed to crack a method to craft magic tools. If Zion's father's research was used to manage that feat then it only confirmed what the blue magician had told Zion after capturing him. It was too soon to say for sure as Zion would need to enter the city and see Klien's magic tools with his own eyes to determine if Mikael's work had indeed been used. Zion still could picture the worn scrolls that had his father's life long research penned into it with aged ink. If it was incorporated, then Zion felt confident he could notice.

Such was the young magician's train of thought when the monk finsihed his meal and produced a simple magic tool to offer up as payment for the meal. Zion's eyes flashed as he listened to Tenju mention that he had more items as well. If Zion wanted to out do Kornel Klien in magic tool research then he would need to acquire more tools to study. This was a perfect opportunity.

"You said you had more tools?...That pipe is enough to pay for your meal, but I have a better deal for you. Show me the other tools you mentioned. If they catch my eye, I will buy them all off of you. My offer is...endless Iron Heart stew for life!"


Magoi: 250/340

Ability:

Tenju's expression lit up once the promise of endless stew for life was made. His attachment to these material objects was not particularly strong, but across his travels finding money for food had been the most intense of struggles. If he were to sell these tools to anyone else he would likely get a monetary value slightly less than what they were worth. How many bowls of stew could that compensation buy? Ten? A hundred? A thousand? No matter how high that number was, it didn't beat infinite stew, right? Even Tenju could work out this much and his struggles shaped him into someone that thinks with his stomach. Without hesitation, he presented each of the magic tools he had on him along with the Shard of Solomon for Zion to inspect. The only things he would not part with were his staff and contemplation rope as they were vital to his magic casting and would see more use as he began to study at the Magnostadt Academy.

After completing the transaction and getting a plaque of Tenju's status as a special customer adorned to the wall, the monk left with less burdens on his shoulders both literally and figuratively. The monk decided that he would be returning to the inn often to make the most of his secured meal ticket. The two bowls of stew had given him so much strength that he felt he could manage to make it the rest of the way to the city before the sun went down. Re-energized and feeling hopeful, Tenju set off to become the best magician he could be.

[Exit]

As the monk revealed one magic tool after the other he began to feel a bit guilty as it really was an impressive catalog.  For how poor Tenju looked, Zion never would have guessed him to have five magic items on his person. Zion reached out with an invisible hand to touch them one by one trying to glean some bit of knowledge about them. But the secrets of their rukh remained mysteries to him for now. "Yes, this will do nicely. I'll arrange for a plaque in the hall listing your special privilege. We look forward to your future patronage, if you ever get any more magic tools come here for a good price. I'll let my steward Jericho know you're an important guest." Wanting to not rip the monk off, Tenju gave him sincere treatment quickly arranging for everything.

After this was done, Zion brought the tools back to the lab tower where he found Jericho up in the forge dumping various materials onto the mouth of the forge for Zafar to grab and chomp up at his leisure. "Now these are a treat!~" The former assassin let out a gleeful sound as he took in a chunk of steel and began grinding it within his molten body. The old steward winced aghast at the sound of his before shaking his head and turning to see Zion appear in a wave of orange rukh as his sight bend cloak faded away. "Your new "friend" is a flaming ass." It was clear that whatever words were exchanged between the two, they had not been pleasant. Zion could only give Jericho an apologetic look as he revealed empty open palms. "Trust me, it's better if he is being spoiler here than if he were left out there. Come down to the study, there is something I'd like to discuss with you."

The two went downstairs and Zion sat down in his father's old chair. Jericho walked over to the side of the room and picked up an elaborate box before presenting it to Zion on the desk. "First, let me give you this. Those rags you're in must be uncomfortable. While I was at the market buy ores for that...thing...I saw this export that is one of the last few goods from Kou we've gotten lately." The old man seemed to be rather proud of his keen eye for quality. Zion smiled lightly as he opened the box and gazed upon the comfortable yet elegant looking robes. They were a bit flamboyant for  Zion's own tastes, but he was grateful for the thought as he could already see how the outfit would help conceal his extra human features.

"These robes are large enough to hide my tails...and there is even a hairpiece that can hide my ears. It's perfect, thank you."

Zion took a moment to change and re-entered the room dressed in his new garb with an additional traveler's cloak being worn to further cover his head. Just because his fox ears weren't standing didn't mean the lack of human ears would go unnoticed after all. "This present was well timed, Jericho. I'm going into the city one more time before setting out on my journey again." Zion was grateful that Jericho didn't interrupt him even though he could see the worry in the old man's eyes. "There is a travelling monk who just provided me with valuable research materials, I've promised him free Iron Heart stew for life, see to it that it's enforced and don't forget to take care of Zafar. I'll be setting off directly from Magnostadt this time, so this is good bye again...thank you for everything, truly."

The foxdoll felt a bit emotional as he knew that he asked much of the elderly steward. But Jericho only respectfully bowed his head having already come to terms with the fact that Zion was going to leave again. If the capture had been able to discourage him, then Jericho could rest a bit more ease knowing Zion was safer here. But if the young magician allowed his fears to control him, Jericho knew that he would not have come this far against so much. It was useless to try and change his mind when such trauma's had not done so for him. Zion smiled and then left, heading directly towards Magnostadt.

Flying from the outpost to the eastern gate didn't take long with Zion's speed now that he was fully familiar with dancing in the rukh of the skies. Though Zion had a 2nd Kodor badge, he hid it and decided to pretend he was a new student rather than go through the trouble of explaining why an unfamiliar stranger possessed and official badge. He accepted the borg test without so much as flinching and when the strongman's hammer failed to even crack his borg Zion smirked feeling catharsis for the memory of his first borg test. This time instead of being mocked the strongman looked at Zion with a nod of respect and made way for the experienced magician to enter.  From the gate Zion immediately headed towards the marketplace where a large stall was set up selling various types of magic tools. This was nothing strange before, but central among them was a new section of tools which had a sign noting that they were "hand made" rather than discovered.

Prominent among the display was a magic sword that produced flames. Zion froze when he saw it as the handle and guard were almost identical to a magic candlestick design from Mikael's notes. The other tools were all similar cases. Mikael had strove to create magic tools for the sake of making everyone's lives easier. So they were all items that could be useful in day to day life. But what lay before Zion's eyes were twisted versions of those items, converted almost exclusively into weapons! Zion clenched his fists and turned to leave having seen enough. Were he to linger then it was possible his emotions would get the better of him.

Before leaving, Zion stopped by the Grey Manor to see if Casvallion was present, but of course, the man ate, slept, and breathed work. Had he been in, some might even say it were a sign of the end times approaching. The young magician felt a bit bad about not letting his mentor know what had happened, but it was too risky to leave a letter. So Zion left Magnostadt without meeting Casvallion.

Magoi: 250/340